Lord Of High Manor

"Is that so? That's fortunate. These two beside me are the ones who brought the meat today."

"Ah! Really? The gallbladder and liver were very well cut, making it easy to handle!"

From inside a thick iron helmet, a muffled voice spoke to Gravel and Nia.

"Wikson! Get ready. We're going to let Grakka in now!"

Another man's voice came from inside the enclosure, and mingled with it was the loud roar of a beast that echoed in the ears of all present.

After the beast's cry subsided, a creature covered in dark brown fur and feathers came into view.

Its front legs, bearing large black claws reminiscent of a bird of prey,

stepped forward, dragging its massive body along.

Unlike the front legs, its large and thick hind legs, shrouded in fur that hid their claws, followed slowly behind as it lumbered into the enclosure.

The disparity in the appearance of the front and hind legs did not seem out of place. Rather, it appeared harmonious, with the hind legs designed for powerful leaps and the front legs for grasping and tearing prey.

Its sharp, vividly yellow beak and eyes—with bright amber irises surrounding pupils as dark as obsidian—moved slowly, fixing their gaze on Wikson, who was hiding behind an iron shield, and the chunks of meat in the handcart before him.

The griffon's wings, folded with white-tipped feathers, rested above the shoulders of its front legs, partially obscuring its body.

"When spread, its wings are incredibly large, spanning about 15 cubits (7.5m)."

Diras said to Gravel and Nia, who were observing the griffon from close by.

It was a sight that could be described as the king of birds and the king of beasts harmoniously combined—or as if a lion and an eagle had taken the form of a griffon to exist in the world—embodying both valor and majesty, truly worthy of being called the sovereign of all beasts.

"Th-there, Grakka. Be good… It's me, Wikson. Master Diras has procured this boar meat for you~"

As Wikson's tense voice reached it, Grakka, its long tail—ending in a tassel-like tuft of dark brown fur—swayed. With large, round eyes, it lowered its head toward the meat-laden handcart and approached.

"That's right… that's right… It's the Altus Boar meat you love… There's liver too. Here, here~"

Wikson, grasping the handcart's handle, slowly tilted it to spill the chunks of meat onto the ground little by little.

The squelching sound of the blood-soaked meat hitting the ground, accompanied by the griffon's purring, heightened Wikson's tension as he cautiously backed away from Grakka.

Hoping fervently that Grakka wouldn't get excited by the smell of blood in the meat and rampage like last time, Wikson swallowed hard. The sound of his gulp echoed inside his armor, loud enough to reverberate back to him.

Grakka extended its front leg to seize a chunk of the prepared meat, then plunged the tip of its hook-like beak into it, using its neck's strength to tear off a piece of flesh and taste it.

"It seems the meat you two brought has pleased Grakka."

Diras said with a satisfied smile, watching Grakka as it emitted a rumbling growl that vibrated the surrounding air.

"I have a very good feeling today. When we feed it meat it likes and fill its belly, making it happy, sometimes it doesn't eat the mare, and we can obtain a hippogriff egg."

"So that's why you requested the Altus Boar meat." Gravel said.

"Yes. Even though we make expensive capes and feather decorations for noble ladies from griffon feathers, we can't feed it like this every day. I wish we could, though, hohoho. The fact that hippogriff eggs sell for a high price is probably why we can afford to feed it this way occasionally. Even the usual feed and goat meat cost quite a bit."

"I suppose so."

Gravel replied, watching Grakka inside the enclosure as it swallowed the blood-soaked meat.

"How expensive are they? The griffon eggs."

Nia, who had been listening to the conversation from the table, asked Diras.

"Ohohoho… There's no exact price; it varies each time. Hmm… A griffon egg starts from about 2000 Drasllat gold coins." Diras replied with a laugh.

"Wow… That's expensive." Nia exclaimed.

"Indeed. They're difficult to raise and even harder to tame. In our trading company, more customers buy hippogriff eggs than griffon eggs. As I mentioned earlier, they're easier to tame and smaller in size."

"Then, how much are the hippogriff eggs?" Nia asked.

"Hippogriff eggs start at 700 gold coins. Depending on the egg's color, some can exceed 5000 gold coins. Still, to get one hippogriff egg, there are costs involved, and you need the luck that the mare isn't eaten."

"I'm sorry… I don't have enough money." Nia said, lowering her head with a dejected expression.

"(Nia was actually asking with the intent to buy!?) Nia…" Gravel thought, taken aback.

"Ohohoho. It's alright. The three young hippogriffs that have already hatched and the eggs laid in spring already have owners. Even if you wanted to buy one, we don't have any eggs available. If you wish to purchase, you'd have to wait about a year. Even the eggs that haven't been laid yet already have designated owners." Diras said with a chuckle, comforting Nia.

"Hmm… Seeing how well Grakka is eating the meat you brought, I have a good feeling that today we might get a new hippogriff egg."

Diras mused, gazing at Grakka inside the enclosure.

"Mr. Diras, if it's not too much trouble, could I sketch Grakka as it is now inside the enclosure? Also, if there's a drawing of a hippogriff egg or if I could see one to sketch, that would be wonderful."

Gravel said in a low voice.

"Oh? You draw? That's fine. You may sketch as much as you like. You can also see and sketch a hippogriff egg directly. However, we can't bring it here; we'll have to move to another location."

Diras replied, turning his gaze from Grakka in the enclosure.

"It's just a rough sketch, not detailed, so it won't take long."

Gravel said, bowing his head in gratitude to Diras before retrieving an ink bottle and pen from his belt.

[ Gravel's desire to record the artifacts of this other world stemmed not only from his personal inclinations but also from other reasons.

In Gravel's aerial manor, there was a companion named Paros. This NPC, appearing as an elderly wizard and Wordbinder(言令師), served only a master who surpassed him in knowledge and wisdom. Due to this requirement, most players of Grand World Online failed to recruit him, as the necessary game lore knowledge was exceptionally high.

However, Gravel, who loved stories, reading, and uncovering new things as part of the joy of gaming, knew most of the game's lore and had little difficulty recruiting Paros.

Yet, after recruitment, a new issue arose. While meeting the condition of knowing over 80% of the game's basic lore was no problem, this 80% also represented the maximum cap for Paros's affinity or loyalty, a unique aspect of his settings. In Grand World Online, an NPC companion's affinity measured their closeness to the player and their satisfaction with the player's interactions, influencing the unlocking and performance of their abilities.

Thus, an affinity of 80% meant Paros's full potential remained untapped. Gravel had raised it to 89%, but his peculiar gaming perfectionism prevented him from using Paros until it reached 100%. As a result, he didn't fully understand Paros's capabilities, though his drive to achieve 100% affinity persisted even in this new world. In preparation for an eventual return to his manor, recording this world's lore in simple sketches and notes for Paros had become a habit—one Gravel found both purposeful and enjoyable, as he also took pleasure in documenting knowledge he could see and touch. ]

*****

After some time passed, Gravel sat in a small room where hippogriff eggs were stored. On the table before him was a large silver box, personally brought by Diras, containing a hippogriff egg with a mottled pattern of white, gray, and chestnut, nestled among soft pieces of cloth.

Later, Gravel held a sheet of paper with sketches of Grakka and the hippogriff egg, drawn at the location he had moved to with Diras.

While sketching the hippogriff egg, Diras, standing beside him, shared an interesting fact: the egg's shell matched the fur color of the hippogriff that would hatch from it. Thus, prices varied by color and pattern, each egg being unique. Pure white eggs without patterns, he noted, were several times more expensive than ordinary ones.

"When we need Altus Boar meat again, may I contact you separately? Of course, I'll offer a higher reward than what was commissioned through the guild, and I'll send a cart as well."

Diras said, rubbing the back of one hand with the other as he approached Gravel, who had finished his sketch and stood up.

"Yes. For a while, I'll be staying on the third floor of the Tiabard Inn in the old town district, so feel free to commission me anytime." Gravel replied.

"Oh, will you really? Thank you. This is… very reassuring. It's a relief. Hohohoho."

Diras said, stepping closer and shaking Gravel's hand enthusiastically to express his joy.

Afterward, upon hearing from a servant that a guest had arrived, Diras and the two adventurers who had fulfilled his request headed outside the mansion.

They parted with a promise to meet again soon.

As they left the mansion, Nia's words about gathering more gold coins and returning reached Diras's ears as he bid them farewell.